Privacy Law Update: April 19, 2021

Stay up to date with this weekly release covering key developments on data privacy laws, technology, and other hot privacy topics!

This was a quiet week for State privacy bills. The Washington Privacy act did not pass in session this week. The 2021 legislative session ends April 25. If the WPA does not pass the House, this would be the third year in a row a version of the legislation has failed.

Newsworthy Updates

NEXT: The Future of Data Privacy

The Me.Ring is just a concept design at the moment. But if it were to be actually built and widely marketed, its impact would be dramatic. The ring consists of a switch: when you are open to having your data shared, you flip the switch to the “on” position. To remain anonymous, a user would switch the ring “off.” The user would be granted the ability to control when, with whom and under what circumstances their data could be shared. The magazine Fast Company quips that it would be “like an Incognito Mode for real life.”

Three Steps to Data Protection – And How They Differ for Structured vs Unstructured Data

In this special guest feature, Scott Lucas, Head of Marketing at Concentric, suggests that compliance is a complex topic, and in this article he addresses the surface of what you’ll need for your particular data and regulatory environment. Having a clear understanding of how to discover, assess and protect structured and unstructured data, and their differences, gives you the foundation you need for an effective and manageable program to protect the PII you manage.

Wyden Urges Ban on Sale of Americans’ Personal Data to ‘unfriendly’ Foreign Governments

A sweeping proposal by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) would ban the sale of Americans’ personal data to “unfriendly” foreign companies and governments, expanding protection for the vast stores of sensitive information that detail every corner of modern life. The draft bill, which Wyden began circulating to lawmakers for discussion Thursday, would join a set of federal privacy proposals that would also restrict the sale of Americans’ personal information to U.S. companies, intelligence agencies and the police.

A Post-Data Privacy World and Data-Rights Management

Joseph Carson, chief security scientist at Thycotic, discusses the death of data privacy and what comes next. The reality is that today, almost everyone is being tracked and monitored 24/7 with cameras recording our expressions, interactions and speech to determine what we might be thinking, where we are going and who we are meeting. While privacy differs from nation to nation and culture to culture, one thing that remains consistent is that having privacy is becoming less and less of an option.

Pending State Privacy Legislation

Washington Senate Bill 5062: The Washington state House of Representatives failed to advance the Washington Privacy Act Sunday, its last day to pass the bill this session, but its fate is not yet set in stone. While April 11 was the deadline for non-fiscal bills to pass out of the House, sources indicate the chamber is still negotiating a compromise, and a representative of sponsor State Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Wash., said he believes “the bill remains alive through the end of the legislative session.” Carlyle declined to provide further details. April 25 is the last day of the 2021 legislative session. If the WPA does not pass the House, this would be the third year in a row a version of the legislation has failed.

Reference the IAPP State Comparison Chart for complete status and comparison of the many pending state laws.

Future proof your privacy program with WireWheel’s Trust Access and Consent Center and WireWheel’s Privacy Operations Manager.

Request Demo